Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 596 - 538 Inquiry
"Is the garrison treating Li Ang as a suspect?"
Qiu Feng’s expression was somber, her tone angered. She almost loudly questioned, "What is your purpose in saying this? Who instructed you?"
Her anger was entirely justifiable. Her group had traveled far to the Turkic Royal Court, where, due to a traitor, they suffered heavy casualties.
Now, Li Ang, whose life and death had been uncertain, had barely returned to Chang’an, only to be met with suspicion from the garrison instead of flowers and welcome.
The two members of the garrison kept saying they dared not, their expressions becoming increasingly awkward and embarrassed.
"Stop troubling them."
Li Ang waved his hand. He knew full well these two were merely pawns who wouldn’t have come to his house without orders from above. After all, he had only recently relinquished his position as the Hedong Road Observer and was still an Academic Palace Patrol.
"No!"
Qiu Feng, like a mother beast protecting her young, loudly declared, "Unless the reasons are clear, even the garrison shouldn’t think about taking anyone away!"
Her voice was very loud. Li Leqing, who was in the opposite room with the infant, heard the commotion and came over. "What’s happening?"
Qiu Feng crossed her arms in front of her and said solemnly, "They want to take Li Ang back for interrogation."
"It’s not an interrogation, but an inquiry."
Seeing Princess Guanghua appear, the two from the garrison quickly explained, "It’s only to ask some routine questions."
Qiu Feng said, "If it’s just an inquiry, can’t the Academic Palace handle it? They can share the information with the garrison later."
"This..."
The two members of the garrison were helpless. Allowing the Academic Palace to conduct its own investigation was something their superiors would find hard to believe, despite the Academic Palace’s reputable standing.
Amid this stalemate, Li Ang suddenly said, "I can go with you."
"Risheng?"
Qiu Feng was greatly surprised. The journey to the Turkic lands had proven that Zhao Ming had spies within the Yu Country’s high command. At this moment, only their own people from the Academic Palace were trustworthy.
Li Ang calmly said, "Nothing can be accomplished without rules. I’ve been missing for so long; indeed, there’s suspicion that I might have been turned or defected to the enemy."
Qiu Feng still wanted to persuade him, but He Fanshuang looked at Li Ang intently for a moment, then nodded calmly and said, "Then I will return to the Academic Palace and explain the situation to our elders."
Li Leqing also said, "I’ll return to the Imperial Palace to find Father and Mom."
Li Ang reassured Chai Chai, telling her not to inform Aunt Song and the others about this. He then followed the two garrison members out of the courtyard and got into a carriage.
SNAP.
A hand grabbed the carriage door, preventing it from shutting.
Cheng Juxiu said with a smile, "You two wouldn’t mind if I tag along, right? Since it’s just an inquiry, having me, an Academic Palace Patrol, present shouldn’t be an issue."
The garrison members exchanged glances. Before they could respond, Cheng Juxiu had already jumped into the carriage, plopping down beside Li Ang and giving him a sly wink.
Since the matter was settled, the garrison members had no choice but to signal the coachman to proceed.
RUMBLE—
The wheels started turning. The carriage was specially made. It had cushioned seats and sealed windows for excellent soundproofing. Talismans for weight reduction were attached to the bottom, making it difficult to hear outside noises or even feel the vehicle’s turns. This design ensured passengers couldn’t detect the direction of travel.
Before long, the carriage stopped. Li Ang and Cheng Juxiu alighted and were led into a tea room.
It was indeed a tea room, equipped with alcoves, a sunken hearth, mats on the floor, and furnished with a low table and chairs.
Li Ang and Cheng Juxiu exchanged glances, not understanding what the garrison was up to.
"Apologies for making you wait."
A middle-aged man entered the tea room and greeted them with a clasped fist salute. "I am Qi Ji, Deputy Envoy of the garrison."
Was it him?
Cheng Juxiu’s eyebrows lifted imperceptibly. He seemed to recall that during the previous turmoil in Chang’an, it was this Deputy Commander who had directly confronted Ghost Shovel and Yuan Sou.
The three of them sat down. Qi Ji personally brewed and served the tea. After some customary pleasantries, including expressing gratitude for Li Ang’s contributions to the Yu Country, he abruptly changed the topic and posed the question.
"According to the statements from Cultivator He Fanshuang and the survivors from Tongluo City, Mr. Li, is it true that during the attack, you intentionally diverted the Zhao Ming Ghost Shovel’s attention?"
"That’s correct."
Li Ang nodded. At the time, nearly half of Tongluo City had heard his vulgar taunts provoking Ghost Shovel.
"Once again, I admire your spirit of sacrifice, Mr. Li. However, there is an issue," Qi Ji said, pulling a stack of testimonies from his robe and flipping through them. "All eyewitness accounts confirm that you disappeared instantly. How did you manage that?"
He looked up and calmly stated, "In the Sword Dao of the Cloud Patrol Realm, transforming into Body Sword Light leaves a trail of airflow. In Magic Skill, the illusion shadow invisibility technique requires chanting spells and performing hand gestures. As for talismanic Tao, there is indeed the Medium Concealing Talisman, which can completely hide one’s aura and achieve a similar effect of instant disappearance. However, that’s a Candle Cloud Divine Talisman, not something you could cast..."
There are few methods to achieve an effect similar to instant teleportation. Excluding the five main Dao Paths—Talisman, Magic, Sword, Mind, and Body—what remains are unorthodox methods or the use of Alien abilities.
Li Ang was silent for a moment. The arbitrary gate ability was linked to Mo Si, who absolutely could not be exposed to the garrison.
He took a breath and calmly stated, "I’m sorry, no comment."
The atmosphere in the room grew tense. Qi Ji frowned. "This is just a private conversation, not an interrogation. Mr. Li, you are an Academic Palace Patrol and should understand the garrison’s position..."
"I’m sorry, no comment."
Li Ang repeated, "This matter concerns Academic Palace secrets. If the garrison wishes to know, it would be best to first obtain the Mountain Master’s consent."
No matter what Qi Ji said, Li Ang refused to answer. If they were so capable, they could go find the Mountain Master, who was always wandering and hadn’t returned.
"Alright then." Seeing that Li Ang would not comply, Qi Ji reluctantly moved on to the next question. "What did you experience after that?"
This question, Li Ang could answer. He recounted his escape from Tongluo City, his rescue by Galuo, and how he used the Radiant Crossbow to lure Taihao Mountain cultivators to engage Ghost Shovel.
"So, it was your design."
Qi Ji’s brow relaxed slightly. "According to our spies’ reports," he said, "the Taihao Mountain cultivators stationed at the Turkic Royal Court suffered heavy losses. More than ten elites of the Cloud Patrol Realm died, including Bian Chenpei, the son of Judicial Cardinal Bian Yubo. Both of Bian Chenpei’s kneecaps were shattered."
"Is that so? I wasn’t aware."
Bian Chenpei was his enemy, so Li Ang couldn’t care less about his fate. Instead, he began to speculate maliciously. With Ghost Shovel’s appetite, he probably dug out Bian Chenpei’s kneecaps and ate them like snacks. As a cardinal’s son, Bian Chenpei would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, gliding everywhere. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
He continued recounting the subsequent events, omitting the parts related to Lu Yunan. He only mentioned his life-and-death struggle with Ghost Shovel and falling into Li Yuan.
The true story of how he climbed out of Li Yuan barehanded was too astonishing, so Li Ang toned it down. He merely said he was lucky enough to catch onto a tree branch on the cliff, passed out for some time, and then slowly climbed up after regaining strength by eating moss and fruit. He reached a Turkic town four days later.
